Dina first experienced symptoms of clinical depression as a postgraduate student in 1991 and was prescribed an antidepressant. She took the antidepressant medication for about a year. For a number of years Dina felt relatively well but in 2008 she experienced a severe depressive episode and felt suicidal. She was eventually admitted to hospital under a section' because of concerns about risks to her safety. In hospital she took a combination of antidepressants and antipsychotics but her depression persisted. More recently she was she was prescribed lithium, a mood stabiliser. She noticed a dramatic change in her moods, her motivation and her ability to cope with life.

Flora was first diagnosed with depression when she was 21. Since that time she has tried a number of different SSRI antidepressants but had problems tolerating side effects and did not find them helpful. After a severe crisis she spent a short while in hospital. She currently takes tranylcypromine, an MAOI antidepressant and has found it to be effective, and also takes an antipsychotic medicine to help relieve anxiety.

Stephen thinks he had been depressed for quite a while but hadn't admitted anything was wrong until a work colleague suggested that he might consider seeing the GP as he had been taking a lot of time off work over the past few months. Once he was diagnosed with depression Stephen found it easier to accept and was reassured that antidepressants could help him to feel more himself. He has taken them for four years now, and feels that they work well to keep his mood stable.

Melanie struggled with some difficult life events for some time before finally seeking help from her GP. She was offered counselling but there was a waiting list. In the meantime she was prescribed fluoxetine and at the time of interview had been taking it for around 4 months.

Roisin had experienced depression since she was very young but it wasn't until some months after she gave birth to her daughter that she went to the GP for help. At the time she felt she wasn't taken seriously enough and the various antidepressants she was prescribed didn't work for her. Eventually she referred herself to a psychiatric hospital and finally found an antidepressant that suited her and helped her recover.

Olivia is divorced and has three children. She works in scientific research. Ethnic background: White British